Dry shortening agent and process of making same



t otented @cto W, @220 HEllItY V. D'UNHAM, @li EQUNT VERNQN, NEW YQRK, ASSI IGNQR TQ DRY @E-L PIBUQIDUGTS,

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LTD", @E LNDN, ENGLAND, A. BRITISH CQRPURATIQN.

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He Drawing. Application filled hleveznher e3,

19%, serial Ito. 422,315. Renewed April 18, rear. serial A starchy material, such as flour, is mixedle with water and boiled or cooked suficlently to convert all or substantially all of the starch into starch paste, to the liquid (preterably while hot) is then added an oil suitable for cooking purposes, and after emulsi-' ac fication the mixture is homogenized and is then dried. Such a product is highly suitable when used as a shortening e nt tor bread, biscuits, and the like, but with some kinds of cake and pastry, the product does a 25 not give entirely satisfactory results, due to the fact that the amount of water which cooked starch or cooked flour will take upis substantially diderent from the amount of water which theuncooked starch or flour so will take up, with the result that the use of this product in some kinds of cake and pastryhas a tendency to make thepro luct more dense or more sogg than is dGSIEQ-Ed, while in products ofthis c aracter lightness is a desirable property.

hhave'now found that this objectionable feature can be overcome, by retag the starch granules larely orwholly in an unbroken condition, a K of the steps of the proc- 4c ess being performed. at a temperature below that at which any out amount ofthe starch granules woulbe broken up, or in other words,.'at' a temperature too low to form starch paste from the starch granules;

as In accordancewith the print invention, 1

proceed as follows: 'lhe'starch is mixedwit cold water or ave water, but not hot enough to break the starchy to granules, to form a non-lplng' mixture,

to which a c uantit oil-water can he subsequcntly added to ringup' the. proportion material, iior example flour,-

of water to starch material equal to about five parts of water to one parted starchy material.

Any edible oil suitable as a shortening agent, for example, cocoanut oil is then added in ,such proportions as is desired. lt is, stated that the proportion of oil can be varied between rather wide limits, about 20% of oil to'80%' of flour being given as an example of a low proportion of oil, and about 7 0% of oil to 30% of flour being given as an example of a high proportion ofoilr About 50 gives an excellent product, for use in cooking, The mass'is then thoroughly mixed to produce something resembling an emulsion and the mixture is then passed till through a. homogenizer, under a suitable pressure, depending upon the character of the starch, relative proportions of oil, water and starchy material, the temperature of the mixture, and other factors. It may be stated,

however, that ordinarily a pressure of from 3,000 to 4,000 pounds is suficient to produce a white permanent emulsion.

This product is then dried at a low tem= perature, the process oi spraying into a vacuum\chamber is found to give good results. The product thereby produced is a finely-divided ulverulent mixture, containing substantial y all of its starch in the form of unbroken starch granules, very little, if any, of the starch being converted into starch paste. It is of course to be understood that during the entire operation, the

temperature is he t low enough to preventthe conversion 0 the starch into starch paste.

The product as produced above is a nil verulent mixture somewhat resembling our in appearance.- The product can be added to dour and sifted therewith in making up cake, pastry, bread, biscuits, and the line I am, of course, aware, tt'it has hereto tore been proposed to s ray liquid oil, or liquefied hard fat into ry flour. By this method not more than about 10% (or pee sibly 15% in some i: s of oil can be used. lit a larger amount oifoil or tat were to he added by this method, the lting roduct till ice

is so greasy that it could at be t tted or .1

this objectionable feature is absent, even when the quantity of the oil is in excess of the quantity of flour used. I

In some sampleswhich l have made, th quantity or oil was considerably in excess of the quantit of flour without producing the objectiona 1e greasy condition.

While in the above example it have re nally with warm water, which drums-could. be located in a vacuum chamber it desired,

or by hot air. The homogenized emulsion may also be dried by means-of a blast of hot air. For example, the mixture ready for drying is placed in a trough, in which a single iron drurn with a large exposed surface slowly rotates, the interior of the drurn beipg kept warm by hot water, at a tern perature below the point at which starch cells are broken, and a blast of warm air is blown over the. exposed portion oft the rotating cylinder. As the material dries, aknife is so arranged to remove the dry product. I

In some cases, it is advisable also to mix with the emulsion, before homogenization a. small amount, say up to 5%, or so, 0 casein dissolved in an alkali. This aids in preventing the oil from separating during the drying operation. I claim: I

1. A process of producing a dry product containing oil, which comprises mixing terial containing unbroken starch granules with water-in such proportions as to form aliquid mass, incorporating an .oil into the mass, in proportions (relatively to the flour} between about 1:4: and 7 :3,thereafter homogenizing the mixture at a temperature too low to convert any considerable traction of the starch into starchy paste, and ther after drying the product at a temperature too low to break any considerable portion of the starch granules.

2. A product consisting of a dry pulverulent mass containing uncooked starchy material and oil, such two materials being thoroughly incorporated with each other, such product capable of being sifted like hour,"

and the starch granules being principally unbroken, and the amount of oil being between about 20% and 70% of the product.

3. A process which comprises emulsifying oil in a liquid comprising raw starch, homogenizing and drying, all without heating sufficiently to convert the bulk of the starch into starch paste.

' in testimony whereof I allix my signature,

- HENRY V. DUNHAM. 

